There were plenty of F.E.A.R.-like flashback scenes with blood and even scarier imagery in the first Hysteria Project, but apparently they weren't enough for iOS gamers. Now BulkyPix brings us another horror adventure game for the iPhone, a sequel that's more artistically created and will make you even jumpier. Put on some nice noise canceling headphones, because you are in for a heart-pounding ride.

Gameplay

If blurry florescent lights are the trademark of the horror game genre, Hysteria Project 2 offers that and then some. The flashing disorienting scenes are filled with popping open eyeballs, desolate woods. You wake up in a hospital-like room, of course, paralyzed as you watch a lady doctor waving a needle at you before she runs out of the room. If you don?t act fast, a hooded man will come and well, make you dead! Hysteria Project 2 (HP2) picks up where the first game left off, and puts you right back in an interactive movie, a horror movie that is.

Gameplay is very similar to the first Hysteria Project game. It's like watching a Blair Witch movie with handheld camera angles and shakes, except you are a part of the movie. When the letterbox disappears, it?s time for action. HP2 creates time-based action where you either can?t be too slow tapping on a target or you have to keep something from falling or shutting (like a closing door). The actions themselves aren?t that tough to complete, but the game provides interesting backdrops for these actions like having an axe murder lurking just outside of a door that you can?t let shut because shutting the door would make noise therefore alerting the killer of your location.

Like with the first Hysteria Project, HP2 isn?t very long, it's about the length of a short feature film. You might need to take a break here or there however, to catch your breath that you?ve holding during a gameplay session. Controls are very easy, and completing some tasks are a piece of cake. You can pause the game any time you wish, however, sometimes the audio or the video might not come back normally. You might have to relaunch the app to get back to it. Luckily the game has auto saves at checkpoints.

Graphics & Sound

Graphically speaking, Hysteria Project 2 is more mature than the first one, though both play like a horror film. The movie part has a nice style with some artistic scenes and compositions, and the tempo feels like a horror movie also. Acting is good and gameplay part matches the sharpness and style of the film. The developer definitely has an eye for filming make with a good sense of creating scary moments with nice build-ups.

Sound plays a bit part of the game also, just like in a horror film. It is indeed the best to get all the sound FX mix if you play the game with headphones. All the usual horror movie audio tricks are here: scary background white noises, two-way radio communication audio, punctuation sound FX meant to make you jump out of your chair, etc., and then there are also nice silence pieces that are placed at the right place and right time to create even creeper feeling. The audio is very well done to help make HP2 one of the most heart-pounding experience on the iOS.

Conclusion

It?s not a long game, but like a horror movie that you must experience it, Hysteria Projects 2 is worth the price of admission. Even though the game has several jumpy moments, it?s still an adventure game at heart and it?s the best to experience it that way. I know there is a walkthrough out there, but figuring out what to do next is the best part of the game, just as long as you don?t mind seeing yourself murdered over and over again.

Ratings (scale of 1 to 5):

Graphics: - 5 - Creative and stylish like a horror film.Sound: - 5 - Great audio package that helps create the creepy feel.Controls: - 5 - Responsive and smooth.Gameplay: - 4.5 - It?s not a long game though it keeps you on the edge of your seat, some audio/video delay after pausing.

Playing Hints and Tips:

- Tap on different things if you don?t know what to do.- When you die, the game actually gives you clues as to what to do next.- Don?t read the walkthrough unless you are absolutely stuck. None of the actions is super hard to figure out.